The 2023 Stage Raw “I’m Still Here” Awards Finalists

By Steven Leigh Morris

“Hooded, or Being Black For Dummies” at Echo Theater Company

The votes have been tallied, and Stage Raw is delighted to announce its 2023 finalists for excellence on local stages in the calendar year 2022. “Finalists” is really a euphemism for awards recipients, since all finalists are receiving an award. This is part of a new system of recognition that recognizes theaters large and small, and challenges the theory that theater is a competitive sport.

Each Stage Raw contributor writing in 2022 was allocated a number of votes: a percentage of the 205 Stage Raw-reviewed productions they’d seen that year. With those vote allocations, they simply voted for individuals and production elements in whatever category moved them. No committee “quorums” were required for an individual or a production to receive recognition. No leaving behind excellent productions that couldn’t attract enough voters to qualify for a quorum.

These honors recognize how individual artists and productions were affectionately remembered by individuals belonging to our team of generationally, ethnically and gender-diverse writers.

If your name is on the list below, you are receiving an award. If you performed in any show recognized under an “ensemble” category, you are receiving an award. If you were involved with any show recognized under a “production” category, you are receiving an award if you were a producer, stage manager, writer, director, actor, designer or choreographer in that show.

All of these awards are being given out on Monday night, April 17, 7-10 pm at the Sassafras Saloon, 1233 N. Vine Street in Hollywood. The event is a party with an awards ceremony thrown in. Admission is $20 for everyone if purchased in advance, $25 at the door. Admission includes complimentary food, a live band, dancing and a cash bar. All proceeds are used to support the continued ability of Stage Raw’s professional writers to continue covering the local stage scene. Seating is limited and no tickets will be sold once the public safety capacity of the venue has been reached. Tickets here. (Be sure to use promo code “StageRaw” to avoid $2.50 ticketing fee.) 

The actual ceremony will be under an hour, starting at 8 pm. The ceremony will include thanks to Stage Raw’s supporters, the naming of all the awards recipients, and the presentation of the Queen of the Angels and Lifetime Achievement awards. All other awardees will be able to pick up their awards at a table, any time between 7 and 10 pm.

Stage Raw is deeply grateful to the 16 (and still counting) sponsors of this event. Their logos appear in the article below. If you or your business would like to become a sponsor of this party, please let us know at sponsorships@stageraw.com

Congratulations to all the finalists. A year later, your work is remembered fondly. Given all the theater across the region, that’s an impressive accomplishment. There have been organizational casualties since 2019 when we last held an awards show. We all know the reasons why. But we’re all still here. So here’s an even bigger congratulations to anybody who had the nerve to create theater in 2022. Please continue doing what you do best. Stage Raw may not be able to cheer you up, but we will continue to cheer you on. 

FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY

Ahmed Best, Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies, Echo Theater Company

SOUND DESIGN

Dean Harada, Tea, Hero Theatre at Inner-City Arts

LIGHTING DESIGN

Lap Chi Chu, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum

Left to right: Colin Campbell, Ben Moroski (Solo Writing-Performance in, respectively, “Grief” and “Dog”) and “Untitled Baby Play,” IAMA Theatre Company  (Set Design) 

VIDEO/PROJECTION DESIGN

Hsuan-Kuang Hsieh, The Great Jheri Curl Debate, East West Players

Nick Santiago, Green Day’s American Idiot, Chance Theatre

SET DESIGN

Ann Beyersdorfer, Afterglow, Midnight Theatricals at the Hudson Theatre

John Iacovelli, The Brothers Paranormal, East West Players

Cindy Lin, Untitled Baby Play, IAMA Theatre Company

Rachel Myers, Power of Sail, Geffen Playhouse

SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

Aimee Carrero, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Geffen Playhouse

Alexandra Hellquist, On the Other Hand, We’re Happy, Rogue Machine Theatre

Michael Matts, Angels in America: Perestroika, Foolish Production Company

Eileen T’Kaye, A Doll’s House, Part II, International City Theatre

COMEDY PERFORMANCE

Brent Grimes, Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies, Echo Theater Company

SOLO PERFORMANCE

John Rubinstein, Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground, New Los Angeles Repertory Theatre Company, Theatre West and Hudson Mainstage Theatre

SOLO WRITING-PERFORMANCE

Alex Alpharaoh, Wet: A DACAmented Journey, Greenway Court Theatre 

Colin Campbell, Grief: A One-Man Shitshow, The Broadwater

Ben Moroski, Dog, The Broadwater

Jesús I. Valles (Un)documents, Latino Theatre Company

“The Sandman,” Eclipse Theatre Company and Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival (Direction)

WRITING-PERFORMANCE

Judy Carter, A Death-Defying Escape!, Hudson Guild Theatre

LEAD PERFORMANCE

Hugo Armstrong, Uncle Vanya, Pasadena Playhouse

Kevin Ashworth, A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, Theatre Planners at the Odyssey Theatre

Ramón de Ocampo, Hamlet, Antaeus Theatre Company

Jenny O’Hara, Little Theatre, Rogue Machine Theatre

Zachary Quinto, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Geffen Playhouse

Jennifer Shelton, A Doll’s House, Part II, International City Theatre

Michael A. Shepperd, Valley Song, International City Theatre

Kalean Ung, Macbeth, Independent Shakespeare Co.

DIRECTION

Nancy Lantis, The Sandman, Eclipse Theatre LA and Santa Clarita Shakespeare Festival

COMEDY DIRECTION

Ahmed Best, Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies, Echo Theater Company

DIRECTION/ENSEMBLE

Will Block and the ensemble of All is True or Henry VIII, The Porters of Hellsgate Theatre Company

Gregg T. Daniel and the ensemble of Radio Golf, A Noise Within

COMEDY ENSEMBLE

Can’t Pay? Don’t Pay!, The Actors’ Gang

“Oklahoma!” Ahmanson Theatre (Production: Distinguished Musical Revival)

ENSEMBLE

Anna in The Tropics, A Noise Within

Blues for an Alabama Sky, Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum

The Colored Museum, Loft Ensemble 

Freestyle Love Supreme, Pasadena Playhouse,

If Nobody Does Remarkable Things, Pandora Productions at the Garage Theatre

The Inheritance, Geffen Playhouse

Masao and the Bronze Nightingale, CASA 0101 and the Japanese American National Museum

ADAPTATION

James Fowler, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Open Fist Theatre Company

PLAY WRITING

Carla Ching, Revenge Porn, Ammunition Theatre Company

Bernardo Cubria, The Play You Want, Road Theatre Company

Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos, The House of Final Ruin, Ophelia’s Jump

Murray Mednick, Three Tables, Padua Playwrights at the Zephyr Theatre

PRODUCTION: EXCELLENCE IN QUEER STORYTELLING

Interstate, East West Players

PRODUCTION: DISTINGUISHED MUSICAL REVIVAL

Oklahoma! Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Open Fist Theatre

The Penelopiad, City Garage

Roe, Fountain Theatre

Uncle Vanya, Pasadena Playhouse

DISTINGUISHED SEASON

The Road Theatre Company (The Play You Want, Beloved, Bright Half Life, According to the Chorus)

QUEEN OF THE ANGELS

The SB116 Coalition (Teri Ball, Beatrice Casagran, Elina DeSantos, Emmanuel Deleage, Martha Demson, Chris Maikish, Leo Marks, Marc Antonio Pritchett and Vanessa Stewart)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Maria Gobetti and Tom Ormeny (Victory Theatre Center)

Frédérique Michel and Charles Duncombe (City Garage)

The 2023 Stage Raw “I’m Still Here” Awards Party, Sassafras Saloon, 1233 N. Vine St., Hlywd.; Monday, April 17, 7-10 pm, Awards ceremony 8-9 pm. $20 if purchased in advance. (Be sure to use discount code “StageRaw” to bypass the $2.50 ticketing fee), $25 at the door. Venue capacity is limited, and no tickets will be sold once that capacity is reached. Tickets here.